The People's Princess
by Asch-Ravenlock
Summary: The young daughter of King Eventine is the peace bride to the Prince of Callahorn and soon finds herself on an epic adventure
1. Coming to Callahorn

She was young.  
  
She wore a cloak about her body and head as she rode sidesaddle on her way to meet her destiny. She rode a petite white mare who was going at a quick walking step for her. A sheer veil covered her face, hiding much of her feautures from the world.  
  
A soft breeze blew and made the cloth above her whip a little and she sighed. It was real. All real.  
  
She was seventeen and soon would be the bride of Crown Prince Balinor Buckhannah to unify the Westerlands and the great land of Callahorn. He was handsome, but twenty years her senior. He was a seasoned warrior, but was kind to her.  
  
Her father Eventine had wanted a good match for his child. He was young at 30 to have lost his young beautiful wife. He wanted very much to keep his child near him, but she was independent like her mother and he could not keep her with him forever. When Ruhl was looking for a match for his elder son, Eventime was quick to suggest his lovely daughter. The marriage made sence to both countries and so it was. The lovely young Princess to the elves who was not yet a woman was to become the bride of a much older man to insure peace.  
  
They were approaching Trysis. The huge city started as a dot on the horizon and soon became large and imposing. She was used to her heavily wooded Westerland and so much stone made her nervous. She looked for trees and found little about the city that had never fallen. She wanted to start gardens. The dark guarded city of men needed life.  
  
She looked up as people started to pour petals from the battlements. They caught the wind and she could smell the delicate scent as the townsfolk made ready to welcome their princess. 


	2. Beginnings Flashback

Eventine paced outside the birthing suite. It had been hours since his young beloved wife had awakened him from slumber and he had brought her here.  
  
He had not slept since. He could hear with his keen elf hearing the soft sounds of the midwives speaking to the young afraid woman within and the anxious voice of the young queen between the terrible contractions.  
  
He had already lost his father this month and was the newly crowned King of the Elves. The cries from within tore even more at his young hurt heart.  
  
Eventine was powerfully built for an elf being of normal height and weight of a man, which was very large for a normally lithe elf. He was a young King at sixteen, but by no means the youngest ever to rule. His eyes were amazingly blue as he paced, his expression hard.  
  
His wife cried out again and then there were the voices of the midwives. Several moments later came the cry of a babe. Eventine took a deep breath of relief. His young bride had given him a child. She was his age and they had been married a year. He loved her more each day. She was his strength and his confindant. He could not live without her.  
  
A young midwife walking with the newly born royal infant in her arms a few moments later. "Your daughter my lord."  
  
Eventime took the baby carefully in his arms and watched her as she lay content and relaxing for now. "My wife? How is she?"  
  
The young woman paled and backed away from the phyiscally imposing king as soon as he had the newborn secure in his strong grasp.  
  
Eventine looked at her curiously. She shook her head softly and backed into the room.  
  
He had a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. If Aislinn died how could he go on?  
  
After and hour the head midwife came out. She was washing her hands free of blood. Eventine was seated with the babe sleeping in the crook of his arm. So like her mother she was in her look.  
  
"You majesty?"  
  
"My wife?"  
  
"I am sorry my Lord?"  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"She hemerraged. She...she...She passed quietly sir. I eased her pain."  
  
Eventine felt his world shatter at those words. He rosed and rushed passed her into the room.  
  
He found Aislinn lying pale and still warm on the bed. The room stank of blood. She looked so peaceful...as if she were sleeping.  
  
"Even you Mathana could not save her?" Eventine breathed taking his young wife's hand in his large one. She was limp. He watched her as if waiting for her to open her ginger eyes and tell him all was well.  
  
"I have skills. I tried all I could majesty." She said softly. "She was young and her hips small. Your daughter is healthy and large. I nearly lost them both."  
  
Eventine nodded. "I thank you for my child." He said softly. He knew what she said was the truth.  
  
With that he turned on his heel and walked out of the room. For him the pain was too great. He could no longer bear to be near the corpse of the woman he loves so much. He went to his chambers telling the Home Guard he did not wish to be disturbed.  
  
He sat down in his desk chair and looked at his infant daughter. She was perfect from her strawberry blonde hair to her tiny pointed ears and upward sloping eyebrows.  
  
And yet there was some of him in her face as well. It was not as angular as her mother and her cheek bones were like her father, high and well formed.  
  
He bent to kiss her and her eyes opened. He gasped and held her to him. He had fallen in love again. 


	3. The Prince of Callahorn Flashback

Her name was Aischa.  
  
She was the only child of the young King Eventine and his late wife Aislinn. She was a lovely child of fourteen. Her hair was strawberry blonde and thick falling about her back and shoulders in a lovely mane. Her eyes were ginger and always watchful and mindful of things about. Her skin was a sun-kissed brown. She was becoming a woman and what a woman she would be.  
  
She was already in training and at the head of her guild class. Her father joked that she would be captian of his home guard by the time she was sixteen. She could out shoot some of his own military leaders at bows and arrows. She had known to use a sword from the age of five when Jamiy her beloved Home Guard bodyguard/teacher had taught her to hold on.  
  
She had learned to use it and use it well, but she was better with a long knife. The young Princess was deadly up close and personal. The Home Guard learned that the curious one would learn from their movements even if she was not invited so they began to train her, with her father's permission of course.  
  
The two sides of this creature were amazing. Her training as a tracker often took her far from the capital of Arborlorn. She traveled often with Jamiy, Jon Lin Sander, and her uncle, Breen. She often wore outfits our in the woods that blended into the forest. Her shoes were tended and treated with oils to make her soundless even on the hardest earth. She wore a hat with the insignia of the Elessedil house in silver holding a feather. Her long tresses would be piled under her hat making her look at the world like a young Lieutenant in the Elven army.  
  
The other side of her was the beloved Princess of her people. She would appear at social funtions on the arm of her father in the best gowns anyone of the land had ever seen. Her hair would often be in amazing hairstyles that took hours to make.  
  
It was amazing how one girl could be so much to her people. She was the child of their monarch and helped in orphanages as well as keeping their borders safe. Her face told how young she really was, but her eyes held a wisdom beyond her years. She was the People's Princess. All the Westerland knew her name. Aischa Elessedil, beloved of the elves.  
  
She went on partols these days to keep the hated gnomes and armies there at bay. They were growing, but luckly seemed to see fit to stay on the borders and go south to the borderland of Callahorn.  
  
She had been home for just two days and was heading back out. There had been rumors of trouble on the southeast border. She was packing when her father came into her room.  
  
"Hello Aischa."  
  
"Father." She said bowing to the handsome large elf behind her.  
  
He came forward and wrapped her in his powerful embrace. "Off again?"  
  
"Only for a ride. Jon Lin heard rumors of trouble. He wants me to come and check out the area for signs he and his hunters can not see."  
  
Be safe." He said as he sighed and let her go. He was older now and knew what an independent child she was. It was useless to say no. She would go as she willed. He had learned to let her go. It was somehow easier to let her go than it had been to let her mother go.  
  
She stood before him in her tracking garb and looked more mature than anyone could have ever thought. He leaned forward and kissed her brow. "I will see you when you return."  
  
She nodded and hugged him back.  
  
Within the hour she was riding at a fast pace with Jamiy, Jon Lin and Breen. Breen had no interest in being King of the Elves and so he found his useful nitch riding with the Hunters. After all it was much more interesting than sitting debating before a council all day.  
  
It was late when the small group stopped. They pitched tents for it smelled of rain to come and then gathered about a fire.  
  
It was about an hour later when a stranger came into camp and fell before them.  
  
Everyone jumped and Jon Lin sent people to look for more. "I am alone." The large man hissed softly.  
  
He rolled over and all could see the dark wet patches of blood on his clothes. Aischa took a step forward to help. It was after all the first man she had ever seen and she was curious. She gently reached a hand to his face.  
  
"Majesty!" Breen hissed.  
  
She ignored him. Her gentle hands soothed the man. "Who are you?" She asked.  
  
"I am Balinor highness." He said.  
  
"You are a human man?" She asked gently probing his wounds.  
  
He reached up and removed her hat and her hair fell down. "Yes, but you are no elven man." He smiled wearily.  
  
"What happened?" Jon Lin asked bringing bandages.  
  
"My patrol was attacked by theives. I made it here. They fear the forests." He said. "I knew I had friends here."  
  
"Of course my lord." Jon Lin said.  
  
Aischa looked at the man. "Lord?"  
  
"Aischa Elessedil meet Balinor Crown Prince of Callahorn." Jon Lin smiled.  
  
She sat back amazed. She watched him as he related his story to them.  
  
"Here share our food. We hear about thieves and came to see if the rumors were true." Breen said  
  
"They are Elven Prince." The Borderman said  
  
Aischa sighed. "They must be stopped."  
  
"I was in pursuit, but they are heavily armed." Balinor said. "I need to get back to Trysis for more men."  
  
"I could ask my father to help you."  
  
"This matter does not concern your people Princess."  
  
"It just did." She said and stood and walked to her bedroll and relaxed.  
  
Balinor looked at the other men and they smiled. 


	4. The Lady of the Dance Flashback

Eventine made sure his guest was well fed and well taken care of. He found him in the Garden of life sitting under a tree reading. He would soon have to return to his people.  
  
A little ways off was Aischa dancing in the meadow with her friends. So the mighty Prince of Callahorn was not reading at all. He was watching the princess.  
  
"Quite good isn't she?" Eventine asked to confirm his suspicion.  
  
"Very much so." Balinor nodded. His wounds were healing nicely.  
  
"I meant the book Prince." Eventine said a little harder than he had meant to.  
  
"Oh...forgive me..." Balinor said turning to look at the King.  
  
"You like her don't you."  
  
"Is that possible for short a time?"  
  
"I was married for a year before she was born Balinor. I know the haunted look of a man in love." He smiled. "I was casting those eyes at her mother fifteen years ago."  
  
"But she is so young. She is more than half my age. It is insanity."  
  
Eventine watched his friend watch his daughter dance.  
  
She turned to look at him. She smiled and then continues.  
  
Eventine smiled. "She likes you my friend. She dances for you."  
  
Balinor smiled and started to clap to the beat as the young woman danced.  
  
Eventine got an idea.  
  
**  
  
Sunset fell in the Westerland.  
  
At the royal manor a party was getting under way.  
  
His highness King Eventine was throwing a party for his daughter's birthday. She was turning fifteen.  
  
All the guests watched as the princess danced to a strong active beat. Balinor sat with the King admiring the princess who was a bud on the edge of womanhood. She would bloom and be a lithe beautiful woman.  
  
She danced and pulled Balinor up to dance with her. The large Borderman was caught off guard and stood looking at her.  
  
"Dance with me." She said and flashed a smile. He never would forget that smile from then on he was smitten with her. 


End file.
